Today we’d like to introduce you to Toby Weiss.
Hi Toby, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My story has had a few chapters, but the common thread has always been a mix of creativity, technology, craft, and service.
I spent most of my career in technology and leadership, including many years in the corporate world. That experience taught me how to think strategically, solve problems, work with people, and understand systems. But I have also always been a hands-on creative person. I love cameras, tools, wood, metal, music, food, gardens, and the process of making something real.
Over time, that creative side became more important to me. I started Weiss Productions as a way to tell meaningful stories through film, photography, and documentary-style video. I’m especially drawn to work that has a human center: small businesses, nonprofits, public agencies, fire districts, artists, athletes, homeowners, and community organizations. I like helping people explain who they are, what they do, and why it matters.
Living in Central Oregon has also shaped my work in a big way. Wildfire resilience has become an important part of my life, both personally and creatively. I’ve been involved in Firewise efforts in my own neighborhood, helping with homeowner education, fuel reduction, and community preparedness. That work has naturally connected with my filmmaking. I’ve produced projects focused on wildfire readiness, fire districts, homeowners, and the practical steps communities can take to become safer and more resilient.
More recently, I’ve also been developing metal art and functional outdoor design work. I’m interested in CNC plasma-cut pieces, privacy screens, yard art, and designs inspired by the Central Oregon landscape — mountains, juniper, wind, open sky, fire, and the rugged beauty of this place. In a way, it feels connected to the same impulse as filmmaking: taking an idea, shaping it carefully, and making something that helps people feel more connected to a place.
At this stage of life, I’m less interested in chasing every opportunity and more interested in doing meaningful work with good people. Whether I’m making a short documentary, photographing someone, helping a neighborhood prepare for wildfire, or cutting a piece of metal in the shop, I’m drawn to projects that have heart, usefulness, and a real connection to community.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
“The greatest affliction is to have not been afflicted.” Show me someone on a smooth road and I’ll show you a boring life with no growth.
One of the biggest challenges has been learning how to reinvent myself. I spent many years in technology and leadership, where the work was often strategic, complex, and very structured. Moving more deeply into creative work meant learning to trust a different part of myself. Film, photography, and art require technical skill, but they also require patience, vulnerability, taste, and the willingness to keep improving even when the work is not yet where you want it to be.
Another challenge has been learning how to define success in a more personal way. In a corporate career, there are clearer ladders, titles, metrics, and external measures. Creative work is different. You have to decide what kind of work matters to you, what kind of clients you want to serve, and what you are willing to say no to. That has been both freeing and difficult.
There are also the practical challenges of being a small creative business. You wear a lot of hats. You are the producer, camera operator, editor, marketer, bookkeeper, gear manager, client contact, and sometimes the janitor. The work can be deeply rewarding, but it also requires discipline and humility. Good gear does not make good work by itself. You have to keep showing up, keep learning, and keep caring about the story.
My community wildfire work has also shown me another kind of challenge: helping people take action before a crisis. Firewise and wildfire resilience work can be emotional because people are dealing with risk, cost, fear, property, neighbors, and sometimes fatigue. I’ve learned that communication matters. People do not usually need more fear. They need clarity, encouragement, and practical next steps.
In the end, the struggles have been useful. They have pushed me toward work that feels more grounded and meaningful. I am still learning, still improving, and still figuring some things out, but I am more comfortable now with the idea that the road does not have to be perfectly smooth to be the right road.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I sometimes describe my work as storytelling, craft, and community resilience.
Professionally, I run Weiss Productions, where I create documentary-style films, photography, and visual storytelling for businesses, nonprofits, public agencies, fire districts, artists, and community organizations. I’m especially drawn to projects that have a real human center. I like helping people explain what they do, why it matters, and how their work affects the people around them.
A lot of my recent film work has focused on wildfire resilience and public service in Central Oregon. I’ve worked on projects involving fire districts, homeowners, Firewise efforts, defensible space, and community preparedness. Those stories matter to me because wildfire is not just an environmental issue here. It is personal. It affects how we live, how we care for our properties, how we support our neighbors, and how we think about the future of our communities.
I also bring a long background in technology and leadership into my creative work. That part of my life taught me how to think strategically, ask good questions, organize complex ideas, and understand the bigger system around a problem. I consult with a few clients on information technology and marketing strategies, but I am leaning away from that going forward. In filmmaking, that helps me move beyond pretty images and focus on clarity: What is the story? Who needs to hear it? What do we want them to understand or feel?
Alongside film and photography, I’m also developing metal art and functional outdoor design. I work with CNC plasma cutting and am interested in pieces such as yard art, privacy screens, and designs inspired by the Central Oregon landscape. Mountains, juniper, wind, fire, open sky, and the ruggedness of this place all show up in that work. In some ways, metal art feels like a physical version of storytelling. Instead of shaping light and sound, I’m shaping steel, shadow, and negative space.
The different parts of my professional life may seem separate at first — film, photography, firewise work, metal, technology, community projects, technology consulting — but to me they are connected. I’m interested in making things that are useful, honest, and rooted in place. Whether I’m filming a firefighter, interviewing a homeowner, photographing a business owner, or designing a metal panel for the landscape, I’m usually trying to do the same thing: reveal something true and help people feel more connected to it.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Don’t always believe the experts; what some think is right, may not be right for you and your business situation.
Make sure you have a spiritual drive for what you want to do. That will help carry you through the difficult times. “Feast on uncertainty and fatten on disappointment.”
I would also tell people to be patient with the long middle. Every creative path has a stretch where your taste is ahead of your skill. You can see what good work looks like, but you cannot quite make it yet. I experience that now with my metal art – I yearn to produce something beyond what I’ve done before.
And last, leverage your strengths. Don’t start a business where you have no preexisting strengths you can capitalize on. You can, but it will be a long road in a competitive market, and frustration will be your friend.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://weissproductionsllc.com
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/TobyWeiss
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@WeissProductionsLLC
- Other: https://vimeo.com/weissproductionsllc
